In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-018760, an object of the invention is to provide a driving support device in which a visually confirmable area can be changed through a display device (rear side monitor) in accordance with tastes of an operator ([0004], Abstract). To accomplish the object, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-018760 (Abstract), the driving support device 10 has an external field camera 13 which is provided in a vehicle and capable of imaging a predetermined area outside the vehicle, and a monitor 15 which displays an image imaged by the external field camera 13 in a visually confirmable manner by the operator of the vehicle. Moreover, the driving support device 10 has an area setting means which sets a narrower area than the predetermined area in the image imaged by the external field camera 13. The monitor 15 is able to visually confirm only the set area S′ set by the area setting means.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-018760, a position of the set area S′ is automatically changed based on a position (eye point) of an eyeball of the operator ([0038] to [0041]).
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-216286, an object of the invention is to provide a vehicle circumference confirming monitor device close to feeling of use of a rearview mirror ([0007], Abstract). To accomplish the object, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-216286 (Abstract), there are provided an image processing means 14 for processing an input image Vo imaged by a back camera 11 for imaging the rear of the vehicle, an image display means 12 for displaying a processed output image Va, Vb, and a posture detection means 13 for detecting a relative position of a head of an operator D (Da, Db). The image processing means 14 can execute such processing as to cut out a part from a whole image range of the input image Vo, based on the relative position of operator's head detected by the posture detection means 13, thereby to form the output image Va, Vb. In addition, in accordance with a change amount of the relative position of the operator's head detected by the posture detection means 13, the image processing means 14 can execute such processing as to have the cutting out range (Va, Vb) of the input image Vo moved in the direction opposite to the change direction.
As mentioned above, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-018760, the set area S′ (display area of the monitor 15) is set automatically based on the eye point of the operator ([0038] to [0041]). Similarly, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-216286, the range of the output image Va, Vb of the image processing means 12 is set based on the relative position of the operator's head (Abstract).
For example, when the imaging range of the camera is wider than a range of a visual field confirmed by a normal mirror having a mirror surface, the operator is required to change a lot a reference position such as the eye point, the operator's head and the like in order for the operator to confirm the whole imaged range of the camera. In other words, in order to display the image in the vicinity of a boundary of the imaged range of the camera, the operator is required to change on a large scale its own reference position in comparison with the case of using the normal mirror. This means that the operator may take unnatural posture in order to display the image in the vicinity of the boundary of the imaged range of the camera, so that there is a possibility of decrease in convenience.